🧗‍♀️ EDGE 24 open, WES Award nominations, More money for fintechs

Plus tons of events happening all over the country!

Here's your Campfire for the 19th of August, 2024. Not a lot happening this week in the news, so we’ll share a few more events than usual!

💼 Want to create template legal agreements in minutes for free? Check out what Shepherd and Wedderburn making available for Campfire readers below in the ‘Asks and Offers section’. Also follow the Start to Scale LinkedIn page for useful videos and posts designed to help founders.

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🌊 Updates

🏆 Finalists have been announced for the Women's Enterprise Scotland Awards, including categories like Startup Business of the Year, Growth Business of the Year, and Business Investment of the Year. The shortlist for the 2024 awards features 48 finalists across 10 categories, including Kelso-based ThermaFY Eco Solutions and sustainable luxury brand Oir Soap. Check out the full list here. IN

📈 Investment in UK fintechs nearly tripled to $7.3 billion in the first half of 2024, compared to $2.5 billion in H1 2023, according to a bi-annual report on fintech investment trends. Despite this growth, investment remains below 2021 levels due to inflation, high interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty. Major deals like the $4 billion buyout of IRIS Software Group significantly contributed to the increase. DGT

🎯 Scottish EDGE Round 24 is now open for applications until 2pm on Wednesday, 11th September 2024. Early-stage Scottish businesses can apply for categories like Scottish EDGE, Social Enterprise EDGE, Young EDGE, or Wild Card EDGE. The competition offers a funding pot of £1.5 million, with individual awards of up to £100,000. A free online support workshop will be held on 28th August 2024 to guide applicants. More details here.

📣 Asks & Offers

🚨Start to Scale by Shepherd and Wedderburn is offering eligible subscribers of Campfire exclusive access to their ‘Start to Scale Hub’ which helps companies create template legal agreements in minutes for free. To learn more and request access click here.

💡 Frontier Robotics is hiring! A new vacancy for a UI/UX Engineer is open at Frontier Robotics based at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh. Responsibilities include: designing and developing graphical user interfaces using C++, Qt, docker, and ROS2, developing web interfaces using technologies like Node.js, designing interfaces that are user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, reduce friction, and build user trust in data and autonomy, and more. Full job spec here. 👉 Send CV and Cover Letter here.

🥃 Are you a problem-solver driven by curiosity and a passion for your work? Do you thrive on deep, meaningful conversations and value fostering long-lasting relationships? Do you love whisky? If so, we invite you to become a founding member of Dram & Discourse. Learn more here

🦅 Barclays Eagle Labs launched their new Eagle Labs Academy, funded by the UK Government. The Academy provides access to free learning content and entrepreneurship training from different sources. Aiming for those starting their journey to those wanting to scale. Aside from the content, Eagle Labs has partnerships and access opportunities with the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, and their Demo Directory. Find out more here.

👭 Interested in connecting with possible co-founders? Fill in your listing on Cofounder Curious today! Connect with others for possible cofounder matching here.

👷Are you hiring? Send us a blurb and we’ll include it in the next newsletter!

✍️ Want to write something for Campfire? Have an opinion you'd like to share? get in touch!

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📅 Events

🤝 19/08, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Startup Founders Meetup - August 2024: ​Each month, we'll have a combination of tactical fireside chats with experienced entrepreneurs and plenty of opportunities to network with other founders, potential cofounders, and investors. MORE INFO

🥼 20/08, 10:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Eagle Has landed - Barclays Eagle labs August Drop in Clinic: Drop in and let’s have a chat about your business goals and ambitions here at One Tech Hub. MORE INFO

🚀 20/08, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Register Your Interest - Amazon Accelerator Programme: The Programme aims to equip you and your business with the skills & knowledge to significantly boost sales on the Amazon platform globally. MORE INFO

🤖 20/08, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Making better products for the future: Green Product Management + Responsible AI: As our digital footprint grows, so does our responsibility to create products that are not only innovative but also environmentally conscious and ethically sound. This event brings together two expert speakers who will equip you with practical strategies to integrate sustainability and AI responsibility into your product lifecycle, ensuring you're building better products for a better future. MORE INFO

🍻 20/08, 17:30 🗺️ Inverness: Pitch Club: Special Edition: Pitch at the Pub: Pitch Club is a supportive and welcoming environment which gives you the opportunity to practise your pitching skills and gain confidence in talking about your business. We’re here to help from the ground up! MORE INFO

🥼 22/08, 11:00 🗺️ Dundee: Barclays Eagle labs at MSIP August Drop-in Clinic 2024: Drop in and let’s have a chat about your business goals and ambitions here at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc. MORE INFO

🔗 22/08, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup: ​Welcome to the Monthly Blockchain Scotland Meetup at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh. The event takes place at the ground floor in G.03. MORE INFO

🔬 22/08, 18:00 🗺️ Online: MedTech Connect: West of Scotland Innovation Forum [Online]: Join us online to explore the future of engagement and support for MedTech businesses in Glasgow and the West of Scotland! MORE INFO

🌍 27/08, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: Urban Innovation & Heritage: The Power of Geospatial Data: Join us for a special edition of our monthly Data Meetup in collaboration with The Data Lab's Geospatial Fringe! This event features two exciting presentations exploring the innovative use of geospatial data. MORE INFO

💼 28/08, 12:00 🗺️ Online: Sorting your stock: Global strategies for employee equity: In the era of remote work and global teams, startups are grappling with the challenges of cross-border equity compensation. Robust stock options can be a crucial benefit in the search for top-tier talent. But as teams become more distributed, how can finance and people leaders present solid opportunities to their employees, wherever they’re based? MORE INFO

💡 28/08, 15:00 🗺️ Kirkcaldy: Lightbulb Sessions: Fife Creative Tech Workshop and Meetup: Join us for a series of workshops exploring the exciting connections between the creative sphere and tech; followed by an informal meetup! MORE INFO

🌡️ 28/08, 16:00 🗺️ Online: Scottish Enterprise Clean Heat Strategic Workforce Development Fund: Are you looking to diversify into the Clean Heat Market, join this Webinar learn about the Clean Heat Strategic Workforce Development Fund. MORE INFO

🎯 28/08, 17:30 🗺️ Dundee: Female Founder Meetup: AccelerateHER, Techscaler by CodeBase and Elevator are delighted to be joining forces again for this informal meet-up event for female and non-binary founders across Dundee and Tayside. This is a chance to meet other like-minded women, build your contacts and share your knowledge. MORE INFO

💬 28/08, 18:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Entrepreneurs Social Club (ESC) - Edinburgh Startup Meetup: The social club for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs - skip the talks, presentations and lectures - and go straight to networking! MORE INFO

🏮 28/08, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Approaching the Asia-Pacific Market: CodeBase have partnered with Intralink, IP Hatch and City of Glasgow College to introduce the Asia-Pacific market to Scottish businesses. MORE INFO

📍 29/08, 10:00 🗺️ Aberdeen: Learning Journey to IKM Testing UK Ltd, Aberdeen – Lean Transformation: Join this visit and tour to learn how IKM Testing has transformed its business into a lean organisation, resulting in productivity gains. MORE INFO

👥 29/08, 17:00 🗺️ Stirling: The Social at CodeBase Stirling: Open to everyone, this is an in-person celebration to connect and catch up with the CodeBase and Central Scotland community. MORE INFO

🎯 29/08, 17:15 🗺️ Edinburgh: Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase monthly Quiz - Edinburgh (August): Join us for this month's pub quiz - bringing together the CodeBase and Edinburgh community for a bit of fun. MORE INFO

💻 29/08, 18:00 🗺️ Dundee: NoCode Workshop with Oli Littlejohn: This will be an introduction to the world of NoCode: what it is, the tools available, and how it can be used to build digital products. Oli Littlejohn will share some of his insights on NoCode and then lead a workshop session where you can build your own NoCode product with him. MORE INFO

☕ Series: Unfiltered: An in-person, informal catch-up with the Scottish tech community! Come join us for a coffee!
⛾ 03/09, 08:30 🗺️ Dundee, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/09, 08:30 🗺️ Inverness, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/09, 08:30 🗺️ Stirling, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/09, 08:30 🗺️ Edinburgh, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/09, 08:30 🗺️ Aberdeen, MORE INFO
⛾ 04/09, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow, MORE INFO

🌱 03/09, 16:00 🗺️ Glasgow: The Sustainability of AI: Join Adam Bastock (Small99) & Henry Bruce (ExpectAI) for a dynamic and interactive exploration of the complex relationship between AI and sustainability. Is this emerging tool crucial for environmental protection or an emerging threat to our planet? MORE INFO

🍻 03/09, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Tech Meetup Edinburgh - September 2024: ​​​​The Tech Meetup is a monthly excuse for the tech community around Scotland to network, learn and share new ideas! Come along to enjoy informative presentations from your peers, listen to exciting projects in the community and make some new connections. MORE INFO

🍕 05/09, 18:00 🗺️ Glasgow: Tech Meetup Glasgow - September 2024: Join us at Civic House, Glasgow on the first Thursday of each month for our free event featuring two talks on tech with soft drinks and pizza. MORE INFO

🤝 09/09, 18:30 🗺️ Inverness: Inverness Tech Meetup: Whether you're a seasoned professional, tech-curious, or attending for the first time, whether you're seeking new contacts, eager to learn from others, or ready to share your expertise—please book a ticket now, as places are limited. MORE INFO

🗣 10/09, 11:00 🗺️ Dundee: Dundee Presentation Club: Join us in the Abertay cyberQuarter for a chance to practice your pitches and public speaking in a friendly, supportive setting. MORE INFO

🛡️ 11/09, 08:30 🗺️ Glasgow: Scot-Secure West 2024 – Cyber Security Summit: Scot-Secure West‘s programme is focussed on improving awareness and best practice through shared learning: highlighting emerging threats, new research and changing adversarial tactics, and examining practical ways to improve resilience, detection and response. MORE INFO

⛓ 11/09, 17:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Blockchain Scotland Meetup: ​Welcome to the Monthly Blockchain Scotland Meetup at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh. The event takes place at the ground floor in G.03. MORE INFO

🚀 11/09, 17:15 🗺️ Glasgow: Space Sector Drinks Reception from Shepherd and Wedderburn: Following the day’s events at Space Comm Expo Scotland, we would be delighted if you could join us at a drinks reception being held at the Red Sky Bar, Radisson RED, Glasgow. There will be a chance to network and catch up over some drinks and canapés. Spaces are limited so please RSVP by clicking the button below. MORE INFO

♻️ 11/09, 17:30 🗺️ Edinburgh: Saving the World with the Circular Economy by The Melting Pot: The first in our debut series of Social Impact Speaker events sponsored by Charisma Charity Recruitment, ‘Saving the World with the Circular Economy’ will explore the contributions of members of our social innovation ecosystem working towards a brighter future with a circular economy mindset embedded within it. MORE INFO

🚀 21/09, 10:00 🗺️ Edinburgh: Makers gonna make: If you have a side project or app idea you want to work on but struggle with time or motivation, this monthly event might be for you. It's a space for indie makers to build, hack, and tinker together, with the chance to present your work to a supportive community that values honest feedback and accountability. The goal is to create something from nothing and share it with the world. MORE INFO

🎯 Deadlines

📐 Royal Academy of Engineering – Enterprise Fellowships Now Open: Are you a graduate or researcher with a brilliant tech innovation? Apply now for 12 months of spinout and startup training with a grant up to £75k. Not your average accelerator – no fees, equity or IP taken. Apply by 27 August here.

🎯 Scottish EDGE Round 24 is now open for applications until 2pm on Wednesday, 11th September 2024. Early-stage Scottish businesses can apply for categories like Scottish EDGE, Social Enterprise EDGE, Young EDGE, or Wild Card EDGE. The competition offers a funding pot of £1.5 million, with individual awards of up to £100,000. A free online support workshop will be held on 28th August 2024 to guide applicants. More details Apply by September 11 here.

🇬🇧 Upcoming Innovate UK deadlines:

• BridgeAI Supply Chain Demonstrator Applications close 21 August

• Europe Quantum Technology CR&D 2024 Applications close 28 August

• UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D 2024 Applications close 28 August

• Innovate UK Smart grants: July 2024 Applications close 23 October

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That’s all for this week - have a great one!

Team 🔥 Campfire